ASEAN summit promotes contractualization, cheap wages – KMU

The ASEAN summit is a gathering of world leaders to forge policies aimed solely at maximizing profits of the biggest monopoly capitalists by further minimizing workers’ wages and by subjecting them to greater labor exploitation.

For the longest time, the ASEAN has pushed for further trade and investment liberalization, deregulation of labor policies, and denationalization of underdeveloped economies resulting in the widespread joblessness, contractual employment, depressed wages and brutal suppression of workers’ rights by foreign and local big corporations especially in special economic zones.

ASEAN’s definition of economic competency means lower wages and full autonomy of monopoly capitalists to exploit the labor force of its member countries. These neoliberal policies will only serve the economic interests of the world’s biggest monopoly capitalists.

We urge President Duterte, as ASEAN Chairperson, to influence its member economies especially in underdeveloped countries in rejecting the US’ neoliberal impositions and to adopt his position against contractualization and poverty wages.

We call on Filipino workers and people to join the coming protest on April 29 to show our outrage over the ASEAN’s escalating imperialist neoliberal attacks through the promotion of cheap, flexible and docile labor.

We also call on all workers in ASEAN countries and the world to unite and fight the continued hegemony of US imperialism in the Asia Pacific region and defeat its anti-worker and anti-people neoliberal dictates.